South Africa election: What time do polls close today? When can we expect a result?

Voters across South Africa will head to the polls today in an election which will test the ruling party’s mandate to fix the country’s deep-rooted issues. Residents voting today will consider the levels of corruption which have permeated the country’s political landscape for years under the now-ousted President Jacob Zuma. With a whopping 26.76 million registered voters having their say on a record 48 parties in the ballot, it will be an interesting day in South Africa.

These national and provincial elections are important for South Africa for a number of reasons.

The South Africa election today is the first since former president Jacob Zuma resigned, leaving acting president Cyril Ramaphosa to prove he could manage the mess left behind and restore the African National Congress to its former glory.

The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994.

But support for the ANC has eroded as large inequalities have remained.

The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are providing the main challenges.

A massive number of South Africans have registered to vote, but six million young people failed to register to vote – a concerning trend for the ruling party that needs to reconnect and engage with younger voters to survive.

What time do polls close today?

South Africans will vote today, which is a public holiday in the country.

Polling stations were opened at 7am and will close at 9pm local time. (6am to 8am BST).

All voters who are in the queue by 9pm will be allowed to vote.

When can we expect a result?

Results usually take two to three days to emerge – more often it is three – so a result is expected by Saturday, May 11.

Votes from abroad and most special votes have already been cast, but the rest of the country will head to the ballot boxes today.

How do these elections work?

The general election in South Africa involves two votes: one national and one provincial.

The national government vote is for the body that will make and carry out laws and policies across the whole country.

This is made up of parliament and is led by the president of the country and ministers.

The provincial government vote is for the body that makes and carries out laws and policies that only impact the province.

South Africa is made up of nine provinces and the provincial government devise legislature concerning these areas.

The provincial government is led by a premier and members of the executive council, called MECs.

The voting system in South Africa is one of proportional representation, so voters do not choose an individual candidate at the polls but instead vote for a party as a whole.

This means political parties get a share of seats in parliament in direct proportion to the number of votes received in the election.

Each party then decides on members to fill the seats it has won.

The president is the leader of the party which wins a majority in the national vote.

What do the polls say?

Opinion polls suggest the ANC will get more than 50 per cent of the vote with the DA forecast to get about 20 per cent, according to AFP news agency.

If the poll proves to be true, this would mean a fall in the ANC’s vote share as it won 62 per cent of the vote in 2014.

With 48 political parties up for consideration today, this general election has been described as the most pivotal since apartheid ended.

While polls cannot always be trusted, many believe there is likely to be some surprises in store for the African National Congress.

source: express.co.uk